Welcome

Congratulations on reaching the dissertation milestone in your Ph.D. educational career. We are pleased to join your journey to personal and professional growth through scholarship. On this page, you will find the resources you need to complete the Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration. Each college may have minor differences in policies and procedures, so this is where you can come with your questions on public policy and administration.

Writing a dissertation requires a different set of skills from anything you have done so far in your academic program. During this capstone project, you will transform your knowledge, thinking, insight, and skills as a scholar, in order that you may both (a) demonstrate your research competence and (b) develop greater understanding of phenomena in the context of public policy and administration. The dissertation is to be written in scholarly language and the style of the discipline, and it results from a comprehensive, logical, and ethical investigation. You will develop your research agenda throughout your coursework and residencies, and shape a coherent plan for your dissertation during your prospectus course.

Ultimately, you will select a dissertation committee, comprising a chair and second committee member, who are subject matter and methodology experts; the School of Public Policy and Administration (SPPA) will appoint the University Research Reviewer (URR) for your committee. Your committee will work with you in an iterative process to research and write your dissertation. The dissertation chapters follow:

Chapter 1 Introduction to the Study

Chapter 2 Literature Review

Chapter 3 Research Method

Chapter 4 Results

Chapter 5 Discussion, Conclusions, and Recommendations

Please explore this site to find answers to frequently asked questions. We wish you all success in this process.